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Rise of The Ancients - Annuna - Interview with Author |
 Speaking with JC De La Torre, author of "Ancient Rising" for those of you who've not read it yet, click this link for a previous interview we previously had. Take a look at the preview on YouTube here.
Welcome back to The Book of THoTH can you tell us a little bit about yourself
I live in the USA, Florida to be more precise. I've lived here all my life and couldn't imagine living elsewhere. I’m happily married to a wonderful woman, have two cats and a dog. No kids, and don’t really plan to have them. I’ve been writing for over two decades and have already published one novel, Ancient Rising, which was received well by critics and readers alike.
Rise of the Ancients – Annuna is the second of the series – is that correct?
Yes, it is a continuation of the storyline that began in Ancient Rising.
I notice that Thoth is a character in the new novel, anything to do with visiting our site ?
Thoth is a major character in the book! I did it as a plot twist and as a wink to your community here. While I freely admit my initial attraction to the community was an opportunity to meet folks that may have an interest in my work, the community itself grew on me. While I never really posted all that much, I tried to visit often and see what ongoing discussions were progressing. A lot of it was out of my realm of understanding (some of your posters are so into their subjects of expertise that it blows my mind) but I did learn a lot from here.
How did you come up with the concept for the series?
Well, there’s a lot that goes into it. I love mythology, I have a passion for archaeology and researching things from the past – the Rise of the Ancients saga was birthed from that passion. The Greek gods, the Annunanaki (whom I call the Annuna), Atlantis – these are all fanciful things that captured my imagination and I hope will do the same with my fans. I also like action, adventure, and romance – I tried to infuse all of that into this series and I’m pretty happy with what came out. There was also a book by an author named Herbie Brennan called the Atlantis Enigma that sparked the ancient astronaut story in my mind. I added the Annunaki, the Greek Gods, even a little Jesus Christ, a couple of Brennan's theories tossed it all into the pot and let it simmer until the perfect concoction came out.
We noticed a long period between Ancient Rising and this book, why is that?
Oh well, mostly laziness on my part. Seriously though, I spent a good year and half promoting Ancient Rising, then…well, life happened. I tried to build my own publishing company and publish other speculative fiction authors but unfortunately, we never really got off the ground. It’s a shame, really. So I had to deal with that catastrophic failure and all the entanglements that went with it. Not to mention, I do still have a full time job in Information Technology. Before I knew what happened – bam – three years had passed me by and those fans had been waiting far too long and weren’t too happy with me.
Why a sequel? Did sales of the first demand a follow up?
Well, the first one left you in a cliffhanger – so it was mandatory the story arc was resolved. Despite the collapse of the publisher, Ancient Rising has sold and continues to sell pretty well. It is a profitable little title and any time you have something that made a profit, it’s a candidate for a follow up.
So this resolves the Rise of the Ancients story?
I wouldn’t say that – it pretty much resolves the main story of my protagonist, Dan Ryan – but there are plenty of stories to tell in the Rise of the Ancients universe that will be revealed in future installments.
You call yourself a speculative fiction author, why not just a Fantasy author or Sci-Fi author?
Excellent observation. I don’t just write contemporary fantasy. I write horror, sci-fi, alternate reality, paranormal – pretty much anything that falls into the Spec-Fic realm, I write. So I felt that the speculative fiction author label fit best. You’ll see examples of each when my short story collection, tentatively titled Welcome to My Nightmares, is released later this year or early 2010.
Are there any differences, structure-wise between Ancient Rising and Annuna?
Actually, I’d say there is quite a bit of difference. In Ancient Rising, we were telling the story of how Dan got into the predicament he found himself in. I liken it to Indiana Jones meets Clash of the Titans. Dan is thrust into a breathless search for Atlantis, traveling all over the globe to piece together the clues to find the fabled continent…then when he gets there, it’s a big surprise waiting for him.
Annuna not only continues the story, it also takes you back to the origin of the gods – introduces the Annuna and their home Nibiru and it also focuses on the rise of a young Prince Alosletian, who becomes King of Atlantis when it falls from the gods’ graces. Annuna I think may be a lot more fantasy than Ancient Rising. The fantasy side of the story (with the exception of Hermes and the Sacrolites – a band of zombie like creatures) really didn’t kick in until late in the book – while Annuna punches you right in the nose with fantasy themes from the start - so fans who expect a Da Vinci Code style investigation and chase may be disappointed. Annuna is truly a contemporary fantasy novel.
Even though this is series is steeped in Greek myth, somehow you mix in Christian, and other religious themes as well. Tell us about that.
Actually, the last part of the book definitely has those characteristics. Angles, Demons, even Jesus all get involved. Thoth is an Egyptian god. It sounds confusing but they all have their place in the hierarchy of the Annuna.
You mentioned Da Vinci Code, some reviewers have likened your writing style to Dan Brown – is he an inspiration?
Its very flattering to be compared to a mega-successful author like Dan, but to be honest, I hadn’t read the Da Vinci Code or any of Dan’s work until after Ancient Rising came out and I heard the comparisons. I liked the book a lot.
Who would you characterize as your inspiration?
Oh there’s many superb writers that I enjoy. My favorites include Stephen King and Anne Rice, and even to a lesser extent JK Rowling. I don’t really mimic anyone’s style – at least I don’t believe I do. I write as I like to read. Some people love a voluminous behemoth of a novel with 200 page chapters – not me. I enjoy short quick chapters, fast-paced action, with just enough detail and character development to paint the picture in my head. Sometimes I go a little overboard with description – but I try to put my reader right in the middle of the action. Still, I don’t think it slows it up and at least as I’ve been told, my style keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. I think that’s a good thing.
The Speculative Fiction genre means different things to different people – what does it mean to you?
Oh, I love it. Just love it. There’s nothing like a spine-tingling scary story, a laser blasting swashbuckling space opera, or an amazing fantasy world that can take you and immerse you into it. I’ve loved being taken into the Stargate, battling for the prize by beheading my opponent and taking their power, trembling in fear of the Alien, finding the lost ark, stopping Voldemort and saving Princess Leia from the clutches of Darth Vader. Who wouldn’t love this? In fact, I think that speculative fiction is becoming much more mainstream and that’s a wonderful thing.
What is the hardest part of writing a novel?
For me, it’s finding the time. With a day job, plus family time at home, not to mention my little side businesses like our new website to help independent authors get tools they need such as ISBN, book formatting and trailers at http://www.dltatlantispub.com its difficult for me to just sit down and bang out a first draft. Once I get that first draft out – it gets easier. From there is editing, sending it my editor, then editing some more and just for fun, a little more editing until its just right.
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
Early on, I have been writing since I was very young. It’s been a passion of mine for about 25 years and only now am I finally able to share my weird creations with the world. It’s exciting.
Do you read reviews of your work?
Absolutely. I take criticism in stride, I know I can’t be all things to everyone. There’s going to be people who love it and a few who hate it. I know there’s been some strange reviews that have had me scratching my head, but I try to take the criticism of any review I receive, learn from it, and try to get better.
Who is your favorite character in the series?
Oh I love them all – they’re all my children. But if I had to pick one, it would be Doc Constant. He’s patterned after Sir Sean Connery – the actor. I had Sir Sean in my mind as I created him. Sir Sean happens to be my favorite actor so definitely, Doc Constant.
If you could do it all over again, what would you change?
Honestly, not much. I’m pretty happy with the way the series came out. I think I should have gotten more involved in the formatting of Ancient Rising – the book has some annoying printing issues that are distracting. Unfortunately, it was already going to print when we discovered the issues. None of those problems come back for Annuna, which is a beautifully made book. Also, I wouldn’t have started that publishing company. It cost me money, time and delayed my work on this title. I had been away from writing for so long I lost my writer’s voice and it took me awhile to gain it back. I’ll never let that happen again.
Fans can be pretty passionate about a work, what do you think of your fans?
I get emails and letters every day and its wonderful that my work can effect so many people. When you are small potatoes, independent or small press, you don’t expect many people to be effected by your work – but they do and its great. Its stunning really to have someone say, “Gosh I loved Ancient Rising, when are you going to write the next one?” I enjoy reading people’s takes on my work, I enjoy talking to them about what I was thinking or feeling in that moment. I love my fans and even if I were to suddenly find myself at the top of the New York Times bestseller list – I will never not return an email from a fan. I’ll never be cut off from them. Its really because of them I fought so hard to rediscover my writer’s voice and finish this part of the saga.
For those who have never read your work – can they read Annuna and understand what’s going on?
Yeah, I’d say I balanced the recap of the first book so that my fans that read the first novel aren’t bored while those who have never read Ancient Rising can still understand what’s going on. I just hope that if they enjoy Annuna, they’ll want to see how it all began in Ancient Rising. Maybe that’s where the podiobooks come in…of course, I’d rather have them buy the paperback so I can get the support I need to continue my work.
What does the future hold for JC De La Torre?
Lots of writing – not only will I be releasing my short story collection, I also have a new time-travel saga I’m working on called Continuum Force. It’s going to allow me to continue my passion of research into ancient cultures like Rome and Alexandre the Great. I’m really excited about it. Oh and I’m also working on a podiobooks version of Ancient Rising – it will be in episodic format and completely free on podiobooks.com. I’ll also have some more Rise of the Ancients fun…a prequel highlighting the first war in heaven, things like that. Stay tuned to my website at http://jcdelatorre.com for more information on all of that. I can promise there will not be another three year layoff.
Rise of the Ancients – Annuna by JC De La Torre - A quick Synopsis
The latest two books of the Rise of the Ancients series combined into one action packed novel. Book II - Ancient Destruction picks up where Ancient Rising left off as Dan Ryan and Prometheus battles Zeus, Poseidon and the other Gods as they race to a secret location that could be the catalyst to saving mankind. While the battle wages on, we learn the origin of man, the rise to power of the Gods, and the fall of Atlantis. Finally, in BOOK III - Rise of the Annuna - Ryan must go through Heaven and Hell, face his own internal demons, and convince the Annuna to join in a climactic battle with humanity hanging in the balance.
Thank you for the interview and synopsis, I hope you continue to visit and share your thoughts with us at The Book of THoTH, and I'm sure I speak for all, when I wish you continued success with your work, and it'll be very interesting indeed to see how the story develops.
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